Echinacea plant named ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named ‘The Fuchsia is Bright’ with large fragrant inflorescences on strong, branched stems producing single whorls of bright fuchsia-pink colored, overlapping, ray florets on dark reddish stems. The large inflorescence produces ray florets that tend to stay nearly horizontal through maturity. The new plant flowers from mid-summer to late summer, and is suitable as a potted plant, for the landscape, and for cut flower arrangements.

Botanical denomination: Echinacea hybrid.

Cultivar designation: ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(b)(6)

The first non-enabling disclosures of the claimed plant, in the form ofa photograph and brief description was on a website operated by WaltersGardens, Inc. on Dec. 1, 2021, followed by a photograph and briefdescription in the “Walters Gardens 2022-2023 Catalog” on Jun. 8, 2022.The claimed plant was first sold on Aug. 1, 2022, to Garden Crossingsand to W.W. Greenhouses by Walters Gardens, Inc., who obtained the plantand all information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants ofEchinacea ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’ have been sold in this country oranywhere in the world, nor has any disclosure of the new plant beenmade, more than one year prior to the filing date of this application,and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directlyor indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar ofConeflower from the genus Echinacea and given the cultivar name ‘TheFuchsia Is Bright’. The new plant was the result of a cross by theinventor of an unnamed proprietary hybrid known as 15-11-2 (notpatented) as the female parent and an unnamed proprietary hybrid knownas 15-6-2 (not patented) as the male parent on Aug. 8, 2016, at awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The single seedlingselected was evaluated initially in trials in the summer of 2017 at thesame nursery and assigned the breeder code of 16-98-1.

Echinacea ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’ has been asexually propagated at thesame nursery by crown division and also using careful shoot tip tissueculture procedures and found to reproduce plants that exhibit all thecharacteristics identical to the original plant in successivegenerations.

Echinacea ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’ is distinct from all other Coneflowersknown to the inventor. The nearest comparison cultivars are: ‘DeliciousCandy’ (not patented), ‘PowWow Wild Berry’ U.S. Pat. No. 7,982,110,‘Merlot’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,814, ‘Ruby Giant’ (not patented), ‘CoralCraze’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,889, and ‘Mystic’ (not patented).

The female parent plant, 15-11-2, has smaller inflorescences with pinkray florets on more compact habit. The male parent plant, 15-6-2, haslarger inflorescences with orange ray florets with less liguleoverlapping and less basal branching.

‘Delicious Candy’ has a smaller inflorescence with ray florets of adarker raspberry-red that are shorter and disk florets that are muchlarger producing a pompon disk. ‘PowWow Wild Berry; has smallerinflorescences with ray florets that are shorter and deeperpurplish-pink to magenta colored. ‘Merlot’ has a much taller habit withbroader and shorter inflorescences that have more numerous ray floretsof a darker purplish-red. ‘Ruby Giant’ is taller and has a double row ofray florets that are lighter reddish-purple in color. ‘Coral Craze’ hasslightly larger inflorescences and the color is a deeper and moreintense rose on slightly taller plants. ‘Mystic’ is smaller in habit,has smaller inflorescences that have shorter ray florets of a moreorangish-red color that fade significantly to a light coral pink.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Echinacea ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’ has not been evaluated under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary withvariations in environment including: growing temperature, availablesunlight, nutrients, water, etc. without a change in the genotype of theplant. The new plant is distinct from its parents and all otherEchinacea known to the applicant in the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Fragrant inflorescences on strong branched stems;    -   2. Large, broad inflorescences with dark reddish stems;    -   3. single whorl of ray florets that tend to stay nearly        horizontal in inflorescence maturity;    -   4. Ray florets of bright fuchsia-pink coloration;    -   5. Vigorous growth and excellent habit;    -   6. Dark-green narrowly ovate foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’ demonstrate the overallappearance of the plant including the unique traits. The drawings of thenew plant are of a two-year-old plant grown in a full-sun trial gardenin Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible withcolor reproductions. Some slight variation of color may occur as aresult of lighting quality, intensity, wavelength, direction orreflection.

FIG. 1 shows the habit of the new plant in flower.

FIG. 2 shows a close up of some inflorescences from above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following description of Echinacea ‘The Fuchsia Is Bright’ is basedon observations of two-year-old specimens grown in a partially-shadedgreenhouse and in a full-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. The newplant has not been tested in all environments and some phenotypicdifferences may occur with different environments without, however, anychange in genotype. The color descriptions are based on the 2015 editionof The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where commondictionary descriptions are used.

-   Parentage: Female or seed parent is the proprietary unreleased    hybrid 15-11-2 comprising a complex cross with ‘Julia’ U.S. Plant    Pat. No. 24,629 and ‘Butterfly Kisses’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,458,    and the male parent is the proprietary unreleased hybrid 15-6-2    comprising a complex crossing with offspring from ‘Julia’,    ‘Cleopatra’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,631 and Butterfly Kisses' U.S.    Plant Pat. No. 24,458;-   Plant habit: Multi-stemmed, freely-branched, hardy herbaceous    perennial, flowering to about 40 cm tall and 38 cm wide with foliage    to 22 cm tall and 35 cm wide;-   Growth rate: Vigorous, finishing in 4-liter containers in about 2    months during the summer;-   Roots: Cream-colored, finely branched;-   Foliage: Alternate; narrowly ovate; acute apex; cuneate to attenuate    base; margin micro-ciliolate and serrate to serrulate with teeth to    about 3 mm long and 5 mm wide; hirsutulous abaxial and adaxial; to    about 13.8 cm long and 6.3 cm wide decreasing distally, average    about 10 cm long and 4 cm wide;-   Leaf color: Young leaves adaxial between RHS146A and RHS 138A,    abaxial nearest RHS 147B; mature leaves adaxial between NN137A and    RHS 139A, abaxial nearest RHS 137B; variegation absent;-   Foliage fragrance: Lightly herbal;-   Venation: Pinnate; abaxial midrib and veins costate; glabrous    adaxial, hirsutulous abaxial;-   Vein color: Adaxial midrib and primary veins nearest RHS 146D,    secondary nearest RHS 146A; abaxial midrib and primary veins nearest    RHS 146D, secondary nearest RHS 146A;-   Petiole: Concavo-convex; glabrous adaxial; and finely hirsutulous    abaxial; to about 8 cm long and 4 mm wide at the base on lowest    leaves and decreasing to nearly sessile distally;-   Petiole color: Adaxial center nearest 145C and margin between    RHS146A and RHS 138A, abaxial center between RHS 146D and RHS 145C    and margin nearest RHS 137B;-   Stem: Hirsutulous; cylindrical, fistulous; strong and stiff; to    about 37 cm long including peduncle and about 6 mm diameter at base;    average 35 cm long and 5 mm diameter;-   Stem color: Proximally nearest RHS 146C and distally blushed to    solid RHS 183B;-   Peduncle: Hirsutulous; terete; strong; stiff; branched; about 11 cm    long above last leaves and 3 mm diameter at base; quantity per plant    about 12; aspect ascending, upright;-   Peduncle color: Proximally between RHS 146C and RHS 183B, distally    to solid RHS 183B;-   Internode: 6 to 9 per stem; average about 5.6 cm long, shorter    proximally and longer distally; node color same as surrounding    peduncle;-   Branches: Cylindrical; hirsutulous; tightly angled to main stem to    about 60° above horizontal: about 2 to 4 branches per stem; to about    18 cm long and 2.5 mm diameter;-   Branch color: Proximally between RHS 146C and RHS 183B, distally to    solid RHS 183B;-   Inflorescence: Bracteate head, aggregate of achene; with single    whorl of distinct ligulate ray florets and disk florets in a pappus;    flowering mid-summer to late summer; initial inflorescence largest,    to about 10.5 cm wide and 5.5 cm tall, with cones 2.8 cm across and    2.7 cm tall; to 4 inflorescences per peduncle;-   Inflorescence fragrance: Lightly sweet, honey-like;-   Flower persistence: Remaining effective in color for 10 to 14 days    depending on temperatures, cone drying on plant and effective into    winter;-   Involucre: With numerous bracts, about 40 per inflorescence in 3 to    4 whorls; arcuate downward toward peduncle;-   Involucre bracts: Lanceolate; narrowly acute apex; truncate base;    micro-ciliolate margin; adaxial glabrous to micro-puberulent;    abaxial hirsutulous; to about 11 mm long and 3.5 mm across    decreasing distally; color adaxial center between RHS 137A and RHS    137B, abaxial nearest RHS 147B with a light blush of nearest RHS    186A;-   Inflorescence buds with ray florets vertical and still enrolled:    About 14 mm across and 20 mm tall; ray floret color between RHS N77A    and RHS N186D with spines nearest RHS 187A;-   Ray florets: Zygomorphic; arrangement in single whorl, frequently    moderately imbricate; ligulate; apex emarginated with two notches to    2 mm deep; base attenuate; margin entire; adaxial and abaxial    surfaces matte; 16 to 26 per inflorescence; opening to horizontal,    drooping up to only 20 degrees below horizontal with maturity; flat,    twisting absent; sterile; ray floret to 42 mm long and 12 mm wide    near middle, base 2 mm wide; average size 38 mm long, 11 mm wide at    center tapering to 2 mm wide at base; adaxial veins thickened and    raised;-   Ray floret color: Changing with maturity; when first horizontal    young adaxial nearest RHS 71B lightening to between RHS 64B to RHS    64C in mid-open period and between RHS N155C and RHS N170D before    dropping, basal 3 to 4 mm remaining constant between RHS 146A and    RHS 146D in both adaxial and abaxial; abaxial beginning nearest RHS    70B when first horizontal, becoming between RHS 186D and 170D in    mid-open period and between RHS 159C and RHS N170D before dropping;-   Disk florets: About 300 per head; actinomorphic; perfect;    synandrous; produced in raised dome, about 2.8 cm across and 2.7 cm    tall;    -   -   Disk floret corolla.—Fused forming tube; about 9 mm long and            3 mm wide, fused in tube in basal 8 mm, free in distal 1 mm;            individual disk florets about 0.5 mm wide at fusion; acute            apex; entire margin; both surfaces slightly lustrous.        -   Disk floret corolla tube color.—Adaxial and abaxial nearest            RHS 146D with apex nearest RHS N186C.        -   Disk floret androecium.—Five; synandrous.        -   Androecium.—Present on disk florets only.        -   Staminal column.—About 0.7 mm wide and protrudes from            corolla tube about 2 mm; five fused stamens; color between            RHS N199B and RHS 199B.        -   Anthers.—Fused, about 2.5 mm long and 0.7 mm diameter; color            between RHS N199B and RHS 199B.        -   Filaments.—Five; attached to column; thin, less than 0.2 mm            diameter and 2 mm long; color nearest RHS NN155B.        -   Pollen.—Abundant; globose; less 0.1 mm in diameter; color            nearest RHS 14A.        -   Gynoecium.—On disk florets only; single; to 10 mm long.        -   Style.—About 4 mm long and 0.2 mm diameter; color nearest            RHS 187B.        -   Stigma.—Bifid; about 1.5 mm long and 0.3 mm diameter; color            nearest RHS 187A.        -   Fruit.—Has not yet been observed.-   Receptacle spines: With disk florets; acicular; glabrous; lustrous;    to 11 mm long and 2 mm across near middle;-   Spine color: With ray florets first horizontal apices nearest RHS    187A, center portion nearest 28A, and bases nearest RHS NN155C;    mature flower apices nearest RHS 183A, central portion nearest RHS    N172A, and base nearest RHS 151D; after ray florets fall apices    between RHS N172A and RHS 173A, midsection nearest RHS 138A with    base nearest RHS 145D; after dried base nearest RHS N200A and distal    5.0 mm nearest RHS 202A;-   Disease and pest resistance: Resistance and susceptibility beyond    that of other hardy Coneflower cultivars have not been observed.-   Growth: The plant grows best with plenty of moisture and adequate    drainage but is able to tolerate some drought when mature.-   Winter hardiness: At least from USDA zone 4 through 8.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named ‘TheFuchsia is Bright’ as herein described and illustrated.